The present invention relates to a plasma coating system. More specifically, the invention relates to a system that accommodates substrates of different shapes.
In some plasma coating systems, as horizontally oriented substrates advance through a coating station and remain in a horizontal plane, plasma arcs arranged above the substrates direct plasma jets entrained with one or more reagents toward the substrates. Such a configuration cannot accommodate non-planar substrates or provide two-sided coating.
Other plasma coating systems are arranged in a linear manner with the substrates following a fixed linear path through the coating station or coater. The coating station is typically provided with one or more reagent manifolds and plasma arcs that direct plasma jets entrained with reagents at one or both sides of the substrate. As a non-planar substrate passes through the coating station in such systems, the distance between the surface of the substrate and a respective plasma arc varies according to the shape of the substrate. Moreover, the angle of incidence between the plasma jet and the substrate varies as the substrate advances through the coating station.